


What Friends Are For

by ExaltedBrand



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Anal Sex, Cunnilingus, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Nipple Play, Porn With Plot, Vaginal Fingering, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:41:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExaltedBrand/pseuds/ExaltedBrand
Summary: Thrasir is determined to distance herself from the world of the living. Sharena is even more determined to bring her back into it.
Relationships: Sharon | Sharena/Thrasir, Sharon | Sharena/Veronica
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	What Friends Are For

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing suggestion from Urby

By all accounts, Askr and Embla’s united victory over Hel should given the Order of Heroes reason to celebrate. The people of both nations had been saved from the armies of the dead, a terrible future had been averted, and Hel’s cruelty was finally at an end. But for as much as there was to be happy about, the conflict had ultimately exacted a heavy toll. Askr’s King Gustav, already weak from illness, had given his life to save his son from a curse of death, and as preparations for the king’s funeral were quickly set out in the return to peace, the Order’s sense of victory was stifled by the weight of loss.

Princess Sharena understood the importance of keeping her head held high. From an early age, her mother had always encouraged her to be a beacon of hope for Askr’s people—to meet sorrow with a smile and to never let despair take root in her heart. Now that the carnage of Hel’s invasion had subsided, she was doing her best to live up to her mother’s advice, showing her face around the other heroes as usual and keeping up her share of duties even as Commander Anna insisted on relieving her of her burdens for the period of mourning. Her brother was doing much the same—weathering the storm left by their father’s absence, holding strong even as his world had changed. He’d seen first-hand the consequences of losing himself to misery in Líf, his twisted reflection in Hel, and fully understood the importance of holding firm even in grief.

Sharena, by contrast, could only go on her instincts. Certainly, the death of Líf’s own Sharena had been a great cause of his despair, so she recognised the role she played in keeping everyone’s spirits high; but for the first time since she and her brother had joined the Order, she was finding it difficult to focus. She felt more exhausted than usual after her daily rounds—cooking, cleaning, or patrolling—and while she hadn’t let her usual sunny disposition slip away from her, she found herself oddly distracted during even the most ordinary conversations.

Part of it was her father’s death. Save for their earliest years, the two of them had never been very close, but she shared in her family’s grief and had come to regret that, for all the time she spent getting to know the heroes of the Order, she’d now never have the chance to know her father in the same light.

The other part of it was Thrasir’s arrival.

The former general of Hel—somehow alive, somehow bound to the summoner’s service—now stalked the Order’s halls, keeping to herself into the late hours of the night and acting only as her contract demanded. Her sudden appearance just days after the Order’s triumph had, at first, sent a wave of alarm throughout the entire castle; and now with King Gustav’s funeral only days away, that alarm had settled into unspoken resentment and revulsion from everyone she passed.

Even here, the world continued to be unkind to the Princess Veronica of that alternate future.

Sharena wasn’t angry at Thrasir’s presence, or resentful, or revolted. She’d been confused at first, sure; but Thrasir had come from a place of suffering she couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Just as Líf had lost his kingdom and family to Hel’s onslaught, so too had Thrasir watched her kingdom burn and her brother die before her eyes. Sharena couldn’t blame Thrasir for serving Hel any more than she could blame that world’s version of her brother—and despite everything _he’d_ done, she felt nothing but forgiveness for him.

It wasn’t Thrasir being in the castle that bothered Sharena. It was that she seemed to be so alone. As far as Sharena knew, the Princess Veronica of their world had been so lonely all her life; and this Veronica, who had been pushed to the heights of desperation by loneliness, had once again found herself without anyone.

No matter how sad Sharena felt at her father’s death, she was still surrounded by people who cared for her, who loved her and looked out for her. But Thrasir—Veronica—had no-one.

To Sharena, that was simply unacceptable. The last thing she wanted was for Thrasir to feel like she wasn’t welcome.

That evening, after she’d said goodnight to all the heroes still gathered in the castle’s main hall, Sharena decided to look for Thrasir. It was easier said than done: the former general liked her privacy, and privacy came from other people not knowing where you were. She searched the forgotten halls, the Gyldarskor gardens, even the corners of the library—but everywhere she could think to look was precisely where Thrasir wasn’t.

Frustrated, Sharena found herself wandering the high castle walls. Down below— _way_ down below—the forests and fields stretched out for miles, with winding rivers cutting through the trees and forming gentle creeks. At the edge of the sky, the last embers of dusk were quietly slipping away over the horizon. It was a cold night, and she was glad she’d wrapped herself up in all her armour and her thickest cloak.

She cast a glance further down the castle walls, then felt her heart freeze in place.

There she was—eerily quiet, unnaturally still. Thrasir. She was also looking out towards the horizon, and she wore an empty expression. Her appearance was strange in the evening light: her red body glistened faintly, as if it were blood covered with a thin layer of frost, and her pale skin gave her a detached, ghostly appearance.

She hadn’t noticed Sharena yet; or if she had, she was paying her no attention. Her eyes were entirely fixed on the distant mountains, from which long shadows stretched down towards Askr.

Briefly, Sharena wondered what she was looking at. Then, following her gaze and recognising the mountains, she understood. Thrasir’s attention was fixed towards Embla. Her old kingdom; the kingdom that, in her reality, Hel had destroyed.

It must have all seemed so strange to her. A world where Hel was defeated, where her kingdom hadn’t fallen to ruin, where none of what she’d suffered had ever come to pass.

Sharena almost didn’t want to disturb her—but this was her chance to talk. Swallowing her hesitation, she approached Thrasir. But before she could say anything, the woman’s voice startled her.

“Princess Sharena. It’s late.”

Thrasir didn’t turn her head. The mountains had her undivided attention.

“Thrasir!” Sharena said, summoning her usual enthusiasm. “Do you have a minute? I’ve really wanted to have a chat with you for ages!”

“Have a ‘chat’? You must have me mistaken for someone else.”

The coldness in her voice was obvious, but Sharena shrugged it off. Some of the Order’s heroes were just like that at first.

Thrasir was silent for a while, then spoke again without warning.

“Very well. If you want to talk, then let me ask you a question.” At last, Thrasir turned to her. Her stare met Sharena’s, and she moved her lips slightly, as if trying to form words. “How did I die?”

Sharena paused. “H-huh…?”

“We were at the Temple of Blood, yes? I had laid a gambit to ensnare Askr’s forces and Princess Veronica, but your brother had anticipated it and sprung it to draw me out. I fought, but in the end I fell down, defeated. All feeling slipped away from me. And then…”

She hesitated, turning her head back towards the sunset.

“I was killed—I’m sure of it. I’m well-acquainted with death: the cold sensations, the utter hopelessness, the pain of losing the will to live… I know it all so well. But one moment, I was dying; and the next, I was here. A strange land where the living have somehow defeated death itself.”

“W-well… yeah,” Sharena said. “We won. We beat Hel, and saved the living. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Thrasir shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

“For your people, perhaps. But now that Hel is gone, none remain to restore the lives she took in my world. _My_ Embla. My brother will never be brought back to me, and the version of him who wanders this world would never recognise me. I’m alone again. Truly alone.”

Her voice fell low, and Sharena heard her quivering.

“I don’t understand. Why was I brought back? Why did your Order save me? I’d lost—and I’d found peace in that loss. What do I have to gain from seeing a world that isn’t mine being happy and free…?!”

“I-I…”

Sharena felt her words catch in her throat. This wasn’t going the way she’d wanted at all, but she didn’t know what to say.

Thrasir was right. This almost felt… cruel.

“I’m…” she tried, “I’m really glad to see you, if nothing else. I wanted—I thought, maybe—if you wanted, we could be—”

“You’re glad?” Thrasir said, regarding Sharena darkly from the corner of her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. We sought to destroy your world to save our own. Had the hope for my world not died with Hel, we would still be enemies. Don’t think I wouldn’t stop at anything to take back what I’ve lost.”

She paused, then her voice suddenly lost its harshness, sinking to a whisper.

“I presume Líf is dead.”

Sharena’s silence spoke louder than words, and Thrasir sighed.

“A pity. He should have liked to see this more than me.” She looked over her shoulder towards Sharena, still not entirely meeting her gaze. “He once told me of a marvellous dream he’d had. A vision of Hel’s downfall, and a new age of peace for Zenith. He took such happiness in the thought of it. I replied that it might have been a vision of a different reality… and in the end, perhaps I was right. But measured against what I’ve lost in defeat, it seems a pyrrhic victory.”

Sharena took a few steps closer. “But isn’t it nice, at least…? Seeing the sun shining again, the flowers blooming? Isn’t it pretty?”

Thrasir looked back at the mountains. “To see life returning to Askr means little to me. In Embla, the sun rarely shines, and flowers seldom bloom. ‘Pretty’ has little value to me. Sunshine and flowers make a poor substitute for my brother.”

“But even in Embla, everyone’s _alive_!” Sharena insisted. “I know it’s not the Embla from your world, but in the end, it’s still the same place you knew! You can fight to protect what we’ve saved—that’s what the Order of Heroes does best!”

A bitter laugh escaped Thrasir’s lips.

“Yes. I’m sure the Order will dutifully oppose any threats… to Askr. Once more, I’ve become a puppet to another kingdom—and just as Hel did, you might even set me against my own.”

“W-what…?” Sharena gasped. “No! We fought alongside Embla to defeat Hel! There’s no more reason for us to fight!”

Thrasir’s hands came to rest on the battlements, her black gauntlets pressing into the brittle stone. “Whatever truce you maintained with Princess Veronica to face Hel will not last. She has not known the suffering that would temper her foolish ambitions, nor has she yet to experience true loneliness. When the time comes, Embla’s forces will march upon Askr again—as they have always done.”

“Why do you talk about her like she’s someone else…? Like you’re not—”

“I am not her,” Thrasir said. “Do not address me as such. Our experiences are too disparate to share a single name.”

Sharena sat against one of the battlements, feeling the cold wind brush against her ears for a moment. Then, she looked across at Thrasir.

“Well,” she said, “ _I_ believe in her. Even if we’ve fought before, I can she’s a good person when it counts!”

Thrasir scoffed.

“Hey, don’t be like that!" Sharena said, pouting. "I really mean it. I know she won’t attack Askr.”

“You’d be a fool to believe that. What reason could you possibly have to trust her?”

“Well, that’s easy.” Sharena sat up, looking Thrasir in the eyes and beaming. “I trust her because when she’d lost everything, she didn’t just fight to save herself, or her brother. She fought to bring back the lives of _everyone_ in her kingdom. Even when she was hurting, she refused to be selfish.”

Thrasir stared unblinking into Sharena. It was impossible to know what she was thinking.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Aren’t I, Veronica?”

For the first time since Thrasir had arrived, she showed a flash of her true colours. The distance, cruel and cold, dropped away; and her eyes flickered with emotion and vulnerability. A glimmer of a time forgotten.

She took a step back, averting her gaze.

“You’re wrong,” she said, but her voice trembled ever so slightly. “She’ll betray you. She’s far beyond help.”

“Sorry,” Sharena giggled. “You know I don’t believe that!”

“Then you choose to suffer willingly.”

With that, Thrasir turned away, walking further along the battlements. The wind picked up slightly, sweeping her pale cloak back, and Sharena hurried after her.

“Wait!” she called out. “Wait up!”

Thrasir didn’t stop. The sun was setting on the horizon, blazing red and orange and bathing the landscape in its glow, but Sharena was completely focused on Thrasir. She reached out to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away.

“Don’t.”

“Veronica—”

“I told you not to use that name!” Thrasir’s voice was suddenly as sharp and biting as a blade, and her eyes flashed as she spun around to face Sharena. “Do not presume to think that you know me, or that my actions reflect on the Veronica you know! I’m not her. I can never be her again. I am Thrasir—nothing more!”

The wind blew harder, whistling through the towers. Sharena shivered slightly in the cold, but she refused to walk away. This was her chance to help her; to reach out to her, to make things better. To show her she wasn’t alone.

“I know that… it must feel like you don’t belong here,” she said. “Askr’s been your enemy twice over… Once when you led Embla, and again when you fought for Hel. And to top it all off, you’re from another world altogether. I can’t begin to imagine what that’s like. But… I want you to know that you can stay. Even if the others haven’t warmed to you yet, there’s a place for you here!”

Thrasir hesitated, and Sharena could see the softness in her eyes again.

“Even if—no, especially if—you don’t want to be Veronica anymore… you can look after Líf’s dream from afar. My brother’s dream. Isn’t that something worth fighting for?”

“You…” she said quietly, “you might just be the biggest fool I’ve ever met.” But her voice was trembling again.

“I know you’re in pain. I know you feel like you don’t fit in. And I know you don’t want to be here.” Sharena took a step closer, and Thrasir didn’t draw back. “But friends can help with that. You can find people who care for you. And no matter what happens with Princess Veronica, we won’t give up on her. We’ve been to Hel and back with her, and we’re not gonna let her sink back into loneliness on our watch.”

The wind around them died down, and the sun set fully over the horizon. Thrasir’s red eyes stared into her, now shining in the dark.

“You want that too, don’t you?” Sharena whispered. “Even if you pretend you hate her, you don’t want to see her suffer. You know what it’s like for her because you’ve been where she is now. And you don’t wanna see her go through what you’ve gone through.”

“You make a lot of presumptions about me,” Thrasir said. But still there was that hesitation in her words; that tell-tale sign that she wasn’t being completely honest with herself.

Those red eyes flickered to the side, then looked into Sharena again.

“You’d really try to save her…?”

“Of course we would,” Sharena grinned. “No-one deserves to be alone—especially not her!” 

For just a moment, Sharena saw another glimpse of the girl Thrasir used to be. This time, the emotion was clearer.

Gratitude.

Sharena reached out, taking Thrasir’s hands in her’s. The red, translucent skin was unnaturally cold to the touch, even through her gloves, but she didn’t let go—nor did Thrasir pull away.

“Thrasir. If you don’t want to live your life as her anymore, that’s fine. But, if it’s okay… I’d like to be friends.”

“Friends…?” Thrasir muttered. “You say the word like it’s so easy.”

Sharena smiled at her. “Isn’t it?”

Hesitantly, Thrasir placed her other hand on Sharena’s. Silence held for a moment between the two of them, and then Thrasir spoke again.

“It’s strange to see you alive, Princess Sharena. With your death, Askr’s light was snuffed out. I could see it in Líf’s eyes. He mourned you more than anyone, but I think he also mourned the loss of the hope and joy you carried.” She sighed. “As irritatingly persistent as you can be… I think I understand what he saw in you.”

Sharena felt her face grow unusually warm. “Hehe… I-is that so…?”

They looked at each other, and Sharena almost felt as if an unspoken understanding hung in the air between them. At last, Thrasir drew her hands away. She looked down at the ground for a moment, the sunken ridges on her face standing out in the moonlight, then raised her gaze.

“You needn’t concern yourself with someone like me,” she said. “I’m fine. I’m… well-accustomed to isolation. I wouldn’t want you wasting your time.”

“Aww, don’t be silly!” Sharena said, beaming at her. “You’re not a waste. And whether you like it or not, we’re friends now—we held hands and everything, which basically makes it official!”

“O-official…?” Thrasir murmured. “Is this some bizarre ceremony in your kingdom?”

“Sure!” Sharena lied, taking a little too much delight in the woman’s naivety. No matter how tall she grew, she was still Veronica at heart. “And friends don’t let friends be lonely.”

Thrasir stared at her, as if trying to understand.

“Princess Sharena… I don’t—”

But before she could finish, Sharena took her hand again and smiled.

“Come on, Thrasir. Let’s get out of the cold.”

* * *

Sharena’s room in the castle, for being a royal princess’s, was remarkably sparse. She had the bare essentials: a large, comfortable bed; a wardrobe for her clothes, armour, and Fensalir; a desk for reading; and a fireplace well-stocked with wood. While she could have had much more, she didn’t care too much for extravagance. She preferred spending her evenings with the other heroes in their own rooms, or chatting with them out in the courtyard.

Thrasir’s quarters, however, were an even colder and bleaker place than the castle walls—and so for the sake of warming up in privacy, they’d settled on Sharena’s room. Now, they sat opposite one another in front of the crackling fireplace, perched on the comfiest cushions Sharena had to hand. Sharena had dressed down for the warmth, shedding her all heavy layers of armor for just her dark blue shirt and leggings, while Thrasir had set aside her shoulder pads and cloak. She was still in most of her armor and her horned mask, though seemed content to leave the rest on. It was probably for the best: Sharena had no idea how much her odd, translucent body really covered, and if it was her actual skin, then she was already in an alarming state of undress.

Still, despite all the years Thrasir had spent as Hel’s general, she hadn’t lost Veronica’s sweet tooth. Her eyes lit up as Sharena offered her a mug of the servants’ finest hot chocolate, and no sooner had she taken it in her hands than she took a long, thirsty gulp out of it. It was so completely at odds with her usual coldness that it took Sharena aback—just aback enough to take her mind off the fact that the liquid didn’t seem to have anywhere to go inside her visible skeleton.

“This is…” Thrasir murmured, “too good for the likes of me.”

“Aww, rubbish! You’ve been through a lot. Enjoy it.”

Thrasir said nothing, staring into the fire. She let out a long sigh.

“I’m not sure how you’ve managed to rope me into this. I must look foolish.”

“You’re fine. Really. It’s okay to just sit back and relax sometimes, y’know!”

“Relax? If I were your enemy, you’d be wide open right now. How can you trust me so easily?”

“Come on,” Sharena giggled. “You can’t scare me while you’re drinking hot chocolate!”

Thrasir’s silence held for a moment more. Then, from nowhere, she laughed.

It took Sharena a moment to process that the sound was a laugh at all, rather than some kind of cough. It was the first time she’d ever heard her do so, whether as Thrasir or Veronica.

It was… lovely. Such a small and simple thing, but she suddenly seemed so much less intimidating.

“A ploy to let your guard down, perhaps,” Thrasir said with a smirk. “A game of misdirection. I could drink with one hand and draw a dagger with the other. You’d be dead before anyone heard you screamed.”

Sharena picked up her own drink and leaned back, laughing. It was hard to take her seriously when she looked so cute like that: huddled up by the fire, chocolate in hand.

“Is that so? Well, it’d be a death for the legends. The Princess of Askr: killed in her room while drinking chocolate!”

“A valiant death,” Thrasir agreed. “But a death nonetheless.”

She stared at the fire again, and her smile faded a little.

“But I suppose trusting me is a kindness I won’t soon forget.”

The wind blew outside, and the fire crackled in the hearth. The two of them were content to sit in silence, enjoying the quiet moment together. In the midst of everything that was going on in the castle, Sharena felt at peace.

“I understand it’s your father’s funeral soon,” Thrasir said.

All at once, that sense of peace shattered. Reality came rushing back, forcing Sharena to remember the world outside that quiet, comfortable room; to remember her father, and all her regrets along with him.”

“I…” she hesitated. “Yes. That’s right… “

Thrasir seemed to understand her expression.

“Forgive me. It’s only that… I would to attend, if you’d let me. Not even for your sake, or his, but for Líf.”

Sharena glanced across, raising an eyebrow. “For my brother’s sake?”

“For that eternity I spent serving Hel, Líf was the only connection I had. In our world, Askr collapsed before he could ever pay respects to the family he lost—his father included. It all happened too quickly for funerals.”

She took a sip of her drink.

“Your father is not Líf’s father, just as you are not Líf’s sister. But all the same, I’d like to see off a member of the Askran royal family in his stead… and as way of apology for your own family. His death, after all, is a consequence of the war we helped Hel spread.”

Again, Sharena found herself by surprise at Thrasir’s sudden gentleness. It was a strange feeling, but not unwelcome in the slightest. She moved closer, taking one of Thrasir’s hands in her own.

“I… Of course you can attend. I’m sure you can. I’ll mention it to my mother, but I can’t imagine she’d object.”

Thrasir smiled softly. “Thank you, Princess Sharena.”

“You must have kept my brother company too, you know,” Sharena said. “After I was gone. I feel like I should thank you for that, too…”

“It was nothing so special. As I said, he was the only one I had left to talk to. I could do no less for you.”

Sharena nodded, falling into silence once more.

“Perhaps it’s not so bad here,” Thrasir said after a moment. “I could never call this place home, but… after everything that’s happened, it’s nice to rest. To stop fighting. To escape death’s cold embrace and find some warmth.”

She looked up at Sharena, her red eyes glinting in the firelight.

“I wonder what might have happened if Hel had taken your brother’s life instead of yours in my world. Would you have walked his bloody path?” Her voice was low, barely audible, and Sharena drew even closer to hear her. “Would you have… relished in the slaughter of your people? Would you have become a monster like us?”

“I…” Sharena shuddered. “I don’t know. My brother’s way stronger than me, but that didn’t stop Líf from doing… well, what he did. I can’t…”

Her voice was shaky. It was a struggle to get the words out, but Thrasir waited patiently, gently squeezing Sharena’s hand.

“Can you see me like that, Thrasir…? If I were in his shoes back then, would I have done what he did?”

Thrasir looked at her, and it felt as if she were staring into her very soul.

“I can’t see you that way. But then, I’d also struggle to see Líf in your brother as he is now. Perhaps Hel simply makes monsters of us all.”

There was a long pause between the two of them. Sharena finished off her drink in her other hand, allowing the warmth to fill her and drive away the nerves. Then, she took Thrasir’s other hand, smiling faintly.

“You know that’s not really true, right?” she said. “Look at you. I mean, sure, you followed her orders because you had no choice—but now here you are, drinking chocolate, resting by the fire, and laughing… just like a normal person.”

Thrasir smirked. “A monster with a sweet tooth, then?”

“I’m serious. Just because you’ve made some tough choices doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. You’d have made a delightful ruler. You were doing it all for your brother and Embla, weren’t you?”

She shook her head, her smirk disappearing. “It was fear that drove me to it. Fear and… loneliness. Those aren’t a leader’s qualities.”

“I dunno. Maybe, maybe not. Everyone gets scared and lonely sometimes. But they’re okay in my book!”

Thrasir seemed caught off guard by her bluntness, and her mouth hung open slightly. Sharena, grinning at her dumbfounded expression, suddenly leaned forward and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek. Her skin was cold, but she felt Thrasir immediately heat up.

It’d been meant as a friendly kiss, at least. But as she drew back and saw Thrasir blushing profusely, eyes wide, there was the undeniable feeling that something had abruptly changed between them.

“Y-you…” Thrasir stammered. “W-what did you just—?”

“Oh, calm down,” Sharena said, laughing. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

Hadn’t she?

From the moment she said it, Sharena found herself doubting her own words. She was only looking out for Thrasir; making sure she wasn’t lonely, wasn’t left out. She wanted to make a friend. That was definitely the only reason she’d approached her.

So what was all this, then? Was it just the appeal of finding the friendly face beneath Thrasir’s cold exterior? Or… was it something else? Something that had been there before that she simply hadn’t chosen to acknowledge?

“Ah… Well, in that case…” Thrasir pressed into her, and their faces were almost touching. “You can do it again if you want.”

“A-again…?”

“Or do you not like me?”

For a moment, she sounded like her old, familiar self. But there was something teasing in it. Playful.

“I…”

Sharena’s mouth went dry. Was she just imagining the look in Thrasir’s eyes? Was this all a hilarious misunderstanding that they’d be laughing about afterwards?

She swallowed, then gave Thrasir another kiss on the cheek, brushing her lips against the smooth skin. Thrasir leaned into the affection, and her hands squeezed more tightly around Sharena’s.

Sharena pulled away, and there was a moment of silence. Thrasir’s eyes were wide, staring into hers as if asking a silent question.

This was going way too fast. But the sugar high from all that hot chocolate must have been making Sharena feel funny—making the both of them feel funny—and she decided to do something stupid. She leaned in once more, and Thrasir met her halfway.

This time, their lips came together. Sharena felt a thrill run through her body. She’d never expected a former general of Hel to taste like berries and chocolates. Soon, her hands were in her hair and their kiss was deepening and oh _gods,_ they were actually doing this. Thrasir’s cold lips felt strange at first, but as she responded to Sharena’s kisses, it felt more and more natural.

Sharena’s heart was racing. Her legs were shaking. Her body was a mixture of intense heat and Thrasir’s ice-cold touch. But most of all, she felt happy.

After a few moments, they pulled away, hearts pounding in unison.

“Why…?” Thrasir muttered. “Why am I—why now…?”

“I-I dunno,” Sharena admitted. “I just had the sudden urge, you know…? It felt—”

Thrasir’s gauntleted hand grabbed her head again, and Sharena found herself being drawn back into a second kiss. She could feel the metal of Thrasir’s mask brushing against her face, but she didn’t care.

The next few minutes were a blur. When they parted, Sharena smiled at her. Thrasir’s eyes were heavy-lidded, and her cheeks were bright red.

“Th-that was…” she began.

Sharena moved her hands to the horns of her mask, gripping them softly.

“Thrasir… Can I…?”

“If… If you want,” she said.

Breathing in, Sharena slowly pulled the mask off of Thrasir’s face. Then she saw her. Her eyes were sunken and ashen, gaunt just above the cheeks, and they hadn’t seen light for so long. But she was still so familiar.

Veronica, all grown up.

Sharena stroked her cheek, feeling the skin beneath the mask for the first time. It was cold, sure, but it was also so smooth. So beautiful.

Thrasir’s lips parted slightly, and Sharena couldn’t help but kiss her again. She felt a rush of adrenaline—or was that frost?—as their lips pushed together. Thrasir’s hand tugged at her blue shirt, and she pushed Sharena down into one of the cushions, laying herself on top of her. Her kisses moved from Sharena’s lips to her cheeks, then to her neck…

Was this just because she was feeling lonely? Or did she like Sharena as more than a friend…?

Well, it seemed blindingly obvious that she liked her as more than a friend at this point. But Sharena was still trying to process it all, trying to figure out how all this had come from a friendly kiss.

This was surreal. A week ago, Thrasir been a general fighting for Hel. Now, here she was in Sharena’s room, her hands running all over—oh!

She gasped as Thrasir’s fingers unbuttoned her shirt, pulling it away and tossing it aside to reveal her bra. She leaned over her, lips dancing across her chest, and Sharena could feel her freezing tongue licking her skin with each kiss.

“T-Thrasir… I…”

“Veronica,” she whispered. Call me Veronica.”

Sharena stared at her in shock. “A-are… are you sure…?”

“Only in here. Only tonight.”

She wasn’t hiding anything anymore. All the emotion came pouring onto her face, and she looked up to Sharena with a desperate expression.

“I… I need you, Sharena. I don’t want to be alone again!”

Sharena put her hands on Veronica’s shoulders, gently lifting her up. She smiled, feeling her heart melt.

“Oh, Veronica… You really can be silly.” She drew her close, wrapping her arms around her in an embrace. “I’m here for you. I’m not going to let you be alone.”

Veronica held still in her arms for a moment; then her lips were on Sharena’s neck again, and Sharena found herself being pushed back down towards the floor.

“I-I…” she gasped, trying to catch her breath as Veronica overwhelmed her, “I don’t have a lot of—ah, that’s good…!—a lot of experience with this…”

Veronica pulled away, her red eyes locking into Sharena’s.

“Then let’s make it count. As… friends.”

Sharena’s heart fluttered in her chest. This went a little beyond friends…!

But then, this was all for her friendship, wasn’t it? To make her happy. To make her belong. To make her feel loved.

Sharena glanced over to one side of the room. “Bed…?” she managed.

“Right. Of course.”

They both stood, helping each other up. As Veronica looked at Sharena, her eyes held an emotion Sharena had never seen in her before.

Had she always been this pretty?

They turned and stumbled over to the bed, falling onto it. Veronica crawled on top of her, hungrily planting kisses along her, while her fingers played with the opening of Sharena’s leggings, quickly tugging them down along with her underwear.

Then, Veronica pulled away from her, climbing off the bed and pulling off her armor. As each piece of black metal fell away, crashing to the ground, Sharena saw the full strangeness of her body—the red, translucent form revealing the skeleton beneath, and the way her fleshy head seemed so removed from the rest of it, like a rubber mask over a ghoul.

Now naked—or at least, Sharena was pretty sure she was naked—she turned back to face her, her body softly glowing in the dim light.

“Sharena. Can you… accept me like this?”

Being completely honest, a part of Sharena was a little grossed out. After all, she could see almost Veronica’s entire skeleton through her body.

But for her, she’d at least try. For her, she’d smile and nod and keep her company for as long as she wanted.

“Of course I will,” she said, giving Veronica her kindest smile. 

Veronica returned the smile, albeit weaker, and climbed back into the bed with her. Sharena could feel the entirety of it now against her—impossibly cold, but somehow nice.

“S-so, um…” she stammered, “how does your body…?”

As if to answer, Veronica took one of her hands and guided it up between her legs. Sharena blushed hard as she felt around for the right place.

“Ah… There?”

Veronica shook her head. “Higher… Higher…”

Sharena traced her fingers up slowly, then gasped as they sunk into an unseen hole. Veronica tensed up and let out a moan as Sharena’s fingers entered her.

So, her body was still there… more or less.

Wait. So Veronica—and even Líf—really _had_ been walking around so shamelessly…?!

No. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Veronica was waiting for her. Gathering her nerves, Sharena started to work her fingers in and out of Veronica, and her breath quickened with Sharena’s pace.

Sharena blushed even harder, trying not to think about what she was doing—trying not to visualize it, either. However, as Veronica’s excitement grew and her entire body started to glow, the process was a little harder not to think about.

“Ah… Sharena!”

She let out a high squeal, reaching her climax almost immediately, and Sharena felt an unusually warm liquid coat her fingers—the same light red as her body.

Okay. There was no being polite about it; this was super gross. If it had been any darker, she might have mistaken it for blood. But at the same time, Veronica’s face was so cute that she couldn’t help but look past it.

“That was… amazing,” Veronica whispered, hugging her tightly.

“It looked amazing,” she replied. It was a total lie, of course: having a deep red liquid suddenly spurt out onto her fingers was only slightly ickier than bathing in a swamp. But at least the feeling of bringing Veronica to that climax had been delightful. She was happy, and that was all that mattered. She wanted closeness, and Sharena wasn’t one to deny a lady her wishes.

She started kissing Veronica’s body, closing her eyes to not think too hard about the skeleton lying beneath, but Veronica pushed her away.

“Veronica? Did I do something wrong?”

Veronica shook her head, smiling. “No. But I wanted to try something.”

Then, she turned over, lying face down with her hips in the air.

“What?” Sharena blinked. “I don’t—”

Veronica looked back at her with a wry grin.

Wait—was she talking about her butt…?

She swayed it from side to side, almost impatiently. From her expression, it was clear she wanted Sharena to do something—to make her feel good again.

Sharena had never done something like this before. The last part had been easy—she’d just mimicked what she did to herself every so often when she felt pent-up or frustrated—but this was completely unexplored territory…!

But Veronica was giving Sharena her body. She was trusting her with a part of herself. If she really wanted it… how could Sharena refuse?

Slowly, uncertainly, she lowered her face down between Veronica’s buttocks, doing her best to ignore the bony pelvis submerged in the red body so close to her face. Her cheeks were as cold as the rest of her body, but she kissed them all the same—first one, then the other. She wondered how far Veronica was expecting her to go.

As if to answer, Veronica pushed her hips back into Sharena’s face. So… further it was, then. Gently, Sharena parted her cheeks, and with some difficulty managed to locate her… opening. Then, after briefly wondering how all her decisions in life had led her up to this point, she slid her tongue into her.

“Ah…!” Veronica sighed.

Sharena wrapped her arms around Veronica’s hips and continued to lick, trying not to think about what she was doing or where she was doing it or just how freezing it really was inside her. Her lips rocked back and forth as Sharena’s tongue worked in motions more familiar than she’d expected; and as the pleasure built, fluids began to drip out of Veronica’s front entrance, flowing down her legs and onto the bed below.

If it was anything like before, Sharena knew her bedsheets were going to look horrific by the time they were done.

Still, she kept going. She explored Veronica with her tongue, making sure to hit all the right places, and Veronica began pushing against her even more insistently, driving her deeper and deeper.

“Ah… I’m close…!”

Oh, boy. Did Sharena want to look, or did she just want to close her eyes and enjoy the sensations?

After last time, she decided to just close her eyes. As she licked, she heard a quiet, pained noise, and realised that Veronica was clenching her hands into fists as she grabbed at the sheets. Her entire body began to shudder, and then—

“Ah… ahh… AAH!”

Veronica’s entire body stiffened, then after a few moments she sagged against the bed, panting heavily.

Sharena sat up, finally opening her eyes again as she looked down at the white bedsheets. Well, they used to be white. Now that Veronica’s fluids had stained the sheets a deep crimson, Sharena wondered how she was ever going to explain them to the servants.

“That was good,” Veronica said, still not moving. “So good…”

Sharena patted her on the butt, smiling softly. “It was… an experience.”

Veronica found her strength quickly, rolling over and sitting up.

“Your turn. I want to do what you did to me.”

“O-oh… I…”

Sharena hesitated, wondering if she really wanted the same. But today, Veronica’s happiness took priority. If this was what she wanted to do—unconventional as it felt for Sharena—then they’d do it.

“Okay,” she said. “Go gently, though…”

Without waiting, Veronica turned her over so she was lying on her stomach. For a brief pause, Sharena felt nothing—then Veronica’s tongue suddenly thrust itself inside her.

“Ah!” she yelped, not expecting the sudden coldness. But somehow, it was actually pleasant. Veronica lowered herself even more, kissing and licking Sharena’s butt as she slowly introduced her fingers. Sharena wasn’t sure how to feel, exactly, but it was nice. Very nice. She’d never expected that something like this could have felt so good.

“Do you like it?” Veronica asked, pausing. A genuine search for approval. The poor girl must have been so starved of any.

“Yeah…” Sharena panted. “Don’t stop.”

She didn’t think she’d be able to have an experience quite like Veronica’s, but that was fine. This was good enough for her. And, more importantly, it made Veronica happy.

Her pace quickened. Her tongue felt like little bolts of lightning coursing through Sharena’s body, and her fingers started to work in tandem with her mouth to create a feeling so intense that Sharena was afraid for a moment of losing consciousness.

“Ah!” she moaned. “I can’t… I can’t—!”

It was more than she could bear, and Sharena came. Hard. So hard it felt like her insides were melting. The fluid squirting out felt thicker and warmer than usual—but then again, Veronica’s body was colder than a Nifl winter, so anything might have felt warm. Sharena shuddered, groaning as the sensations overtook her, and she collapsed onto the bed, feeling Veronica’s freezing hands still caressing her body.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I couldn’t hold back. You looked too good.”

Sharena rolled over, and Veronica was on top of her again, staring down with a grin.

“You’re so cute when you’re trying to catch your breath,” she said, leaning in to kiss her.

Sharena could taste herself on Veronica’s mouth and tongue. It was a little unpleasant, but it didn’t taste too bad when her mouth was involved. Veronica’s hands massaged her breasts beneath her bra, then she slipped the bra up to expose her nipples, fondling them and giving them a soft squeeze with her red hands.

“T-there…” Sharena moaned, writhing at the cold sensation. “Oh, Veronica… That’s…”

It felt so good. Veronica’s tongue flicked across her right nipple, and then she bit down ever so gently. Sharena gasped.

“Nice and perky,” Veronica said, wearing that delightful smirk again. “I like that.”

She licked and sucked on Sharena’s nipples, then moved her hand down between her legs, slipping a finger inside Sharena.

“Ah…!”

Veronica rotated her finger, moving it in and out slowly as her mouth continued to work on Sharena’s right teat. A second finger joined the first, and she began to slide them in and out more quickly.

“Veronica…!” Sharena groaned.

Her hips began to gently rock, moving her mound against Veronica’s hand. Veronica’s mouth released her teat, and she began to kiss down Sharena’s stomach. Her fingers slipped out of her for a moment, and then Sharena felt her lips wrapping around her clitoris.

“Ah! V-Veronica!”

Veronica’s tongue moved around her clit, flicking it and caressing it, while her fingers entered her again. She kept moving them in a circle, gently but insistently.

“Veronica! Oh, gods! I can’t…!”

The feelings became too intense for Sharena to bear. Every single nerve in her body was singing. She panted and squirmed, moaning loudly, and she could hear Veronica chuckling between her legs.

“To think I could lay waste to the princess of Askr so quickly. Will wonders never cease?”

She continued to assault Sharena’s clit as the princess writhed in ecstacy, then stopped abruptly.

“H-hey…!” Sharena moaned in protest.

“Shh. Don’t tense up. Here it comes. Get ready.”

Veronica put her mouth back over Sharena’s clit, and her fingers moved rapidly inside of her.

“Here… it… comes!”

Sharena felt herself drowning in pleasure. By Veronica’s hands, she’d lost all control of her body.

“Ah… Ah!” she panted. “Oh, gods… Oh, gods! Oh—AAH!”

Veronica kept working her through her climax, slowing only as her noises quietened down. Sharena laid there with her eyes closed, her body still trembling.

“There,” Veronica whispered. “Was that so bad?”

“That was… lovely…” Sharena managed.

She felt Veronica crawling back up to lie next to her.

“I’d like to make you feel good again,” she said. “So, unless you have any objections… I think we should make this a regular thing.”

“A… r-regular—?”

“Of course. You don’t think I’d let you have all the fun, do you?”

“Well, of course not, but…” Sharena sighed. “Are you sure about this…?”

Veronica’s hands found hers, holding her close.

“I told you. I don’t want to be alone. So… you’ll keep me company whenever I want, won’t you?”

Sharena smiled. What a childish request, coming from a former general of Hel.

“…Of course,” she said, smiling. “That’s what friends are for.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let's not blame Sharena for being a little weirded out. I think seeing a whole skeleton through someone's body would make anyone hesitate.
> 
> Can't say I'd expected this one to run for quite so many words, but it was a fun little pairing. It's a shame that Heroes doesn't really have the opportunity--or the inclination--to explore its characters in any significant depth: for an aged-up, grief-stricken Veronica who had even managed to befriend Alfonse, Book III's writers seemed largely content to ignore her character entirely.
> 
> As ever, suggestions for F/F FE rarepairs are always welcome in the comments.


End file.
